The surprise wasn't that the Raiders struggled in their first year under a new regime after the death of longtime owner Al Davis, but how thoroughly they regressed.

Coming off back-to-back 8-8 seasons, Oakland finished 2012 tied with the third-worst record in football.

None of the Raiders' victories came against teams with winning records, and three of the four occurred against the NFL's two worst squads, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs.

The silver and black managed just one road win, but the outlook appeared optimistic after that lone victory away from home.

They sat 3-4 after winning in Kansas City Oct. 28, having won two consecutive games and facing some tough but winnable matchups ahead. Rather than step up, the Raiders crumbled and dropped six games in a row during that decisive stretch.

After that, a four-win season seemed fitting.

Oakland showed off its inadequacies throughout the year.

Offensively, the Raiders ranked near the bottom of the NFL in rushing yards, points per game, red zone efficiency and third-down conversions -- those are the probably the main issues that cost offensive coordinator Greg Knapp his job Monday.

While ineffective play-calling contributed mightily to those embarrassing statistics, most Raider players did little to help Knapp's offense succeed.

Starting quarterback Carson Palmer was middle-of-the-road in passing with 4,018 yards, 22 touchdowns and a 61.1 completion percentage, but his 14 interceptions plagued the team all year -- especially when he threw one or more picks in nine straight games.

Despite all of Palmer's hurling, the Raiders didn't have a receiver ranked in the top 37 in yards.

Brandon Myers led the team with 806 yards, an impressive output for a tight end, but the best wide receivers, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore, barely combined for 1,300 yards.

And then there was Darren McFadden.

In another injury-shortened season, the 25-year-old running back ran for 707 yards while averaging a dismal 3.3 yards per carry in 12 games. He scored only two rushing touchdowns.

Usually a receiving threat, McFadden caught 42 balls (the second highest total of his five-year career) but averaged just 6.1 yards per reception (his lowest career rate).

Being without injured backup Mike Goodson midway through the season also hurt the Raiders' rushing attack - which sorely missed Michael Bush, especially around the goal line.

Defensive difficulties seemed to parallel the offensive troubles.

The Raiders were bottom-dwellers in key categories such as sacks, points allowed, takeaways and rushing touchdowns allowed.

But apparently team executives thought the unit was just good enough in overall statistics (20th in pass defense and 18th in rushing defense) to justify keeping defensive coordinator Jason Tarver on the payroll.

Opponents outscored Oakland by almost 10 points per game, and management must have put more of the blame on Knapp's offense than Tarver's equally inept defense.

Almost as puzzling was the free pass first-year head coach Dennis Allen got after the disappointing season.

The 40-year-old Allen, hired by the Raiders following one year as Denver's defensive coordinator, led a mostly listless Oakland squad from the verge of the postseason to the depths of the NFL.

Yet he avoided being a victim during a firing-heavy "Black Monday" that saw seven head coaches canned.

It appears Reggie McKenzie didn't want to face the embarrassment of sacking his first head-coaching hire as Oakland's general manager after only one season.

Or maybe McKenzie liked what he saw on the field Sunday afternoon.

The Raiders, uninspired most of the season, were sparked by sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who completed 13 of 28 passes for 150 yards while throwing two touchdowns and one interception.

The young, mobile quarterback also ran for a touchdown and 49 yards overall -- more rushing yards than Palmer had in 15 games.

Of course, the Raiders still came up short with Pryor at the helm, but he played well enough to keep himself in the conversation as a contender for the starting gig next season.

The quarterback position is one of many unanswered questions for Oakland entering 2013, but one thing is clear: McKenzie and Allen need to find a way to get a winning team on the field, otherwise the next Black Monday will be a dark day for both.